The Bondsteel Bullet January 2014

THE BONDSTEEL BULLET January 2014 NEWSLETTER  Camp Bondsteel Hospital donated two X-ray and one ultrasound machine to Kosovo Institutions.  The value of the donation is close to half a million dollars.  The X-ray machine donated to orthopedic clinic will help them get the third surgery room operational. U.S. Army Sgt. Bryan Gerber, a medical maintenance technician for Task Force Medical, checks an ultrasound machine to make sure it is functional and to provide on the spot repairs as required so it can be used by the gynecology and obstetrics clinic of University Clinical Center of Kosovo. (Photo by Ardian Nrecaj, 4th Public Affairs Detachment) Helping and Saving Rather than be discarded or destroyed, soldiers from Task Force Medical have been able to give some of this equipment a second life by donating it to various institutions in Kosovo. Most recently TF MED donated a mobile X-ray device to the orthopedic clinic and an ultrasound machine to the gynecology and obstetrics clinic to the University Clinical Center of Kosovo as well as an X-ray dental panoramic to a dental clinic in the Peja Family Medical Center. U.S. Army 2nd Lt. Michael Pikul, the logistics officer for TF MED, said the value of all three pieces of equipment was close to half a million dollars. “The increased capacity that these items bring will provide medical professionals [the] ability to better diagnose, manage and treat issues related to gynecology, orthopedics, and dental health,” said Pikul. THE BONDSTEEL BULLET The Bondsteel Bullet is produced for civilians and military personnel on Camp Bondsteel. Contents of this publication are not necessarily official views of Multinational Battle Group-East or Area Support Team Balkans. MNBG-E Public Affairs Officer Maj. Wencke Tate 4th Public Affairs Detachment Executive Editor Capt. Randy D. Ready Layout design/Editor Ardian Nrecaj Staff Writer Ardian Nrecaj POC for this publication is: Ardian Nrecaj, DSN 781-3467 [email protected] Story and Photos by Ardian Nrecaj, Public Affairs Specialist Over the years, the need for certain medical equipment at the Camp Bondsteel Hospital has become obsolete as the number of soldiers have decreased or new equipment has become available. Issue 10 The donation was a joint effort between the soldiers from TF MED and the U.S. Embassy’s Office for Defense Cooperation. “It saves money to the U.S. Army but it also helps empower civil institutions U.S. Army Capt. Charles Noble, the civil affairs team leader with the Embassy’s ODC, said they had been working on this project for awhile and that they were making sure it is was finished properly. in Kosovo.” – U.S. Army Maj. Nicholas Johnson “We were informed about this excess medical equipment from Task Force Medical at Camp Bondsteel, and we felt that there is a need within the local community here in Kosovo, specifically here at UCCK,” said Noble. “If we could build capacity here and save money on shipment or destruction of this equipment then it would benefit for both parties.” U.S. Army Maj. Nicholas Johnson, the commander for TF MED, said the equipment was just sitting and collecting dust. Johnson explained that if the equipment would not have been donated, it would have ended up in Defense Reutilization and Marketing Office and disappeared entirely from the Army system. Continued on page 4 Soldiers from Task Force Aviation receive Christmas stockings courtesy of the Blue Star Mothers of Miami Valley, Ohio. (Photo by U.S. Army Chaplain (Maj.) Timothy Meier) THE BONDSTEEL BULLET ● Page 1